News

Q&A with Neil Duncan

Neil attends about 150 gigs a year and writes them up for the magazine, which comes out every two months, in addition to contributing reviews to The Gazette and other publications in the area.

Neil moved to Basingstoke in 1975 and had a three-year mission to return to London. But at the end of those three years, he had quite grown to love the place, warts and all.

He has previously worked for Oxoid, the Automobile Association and BCoT, and currently plays in local band Geezapunx.

1. Who was your childhood hero and why? Tricky, as it was so long ago. I would probably have to say Lou Reed, who had a big influence on my appreciation of music, setting me up to be ready to embrace punk when it arrived.

2. What is your most precious possession and why is it important to you? Probably my house – it’s the place I feel most comfortable.

3. What was the first record/CD you bought? The first Clash album – still a punk classic.

4. What is the radio/television show you hate to miss?The Big Bang Theory.

5. What is your favourite film? So many! The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers if I must pick one.

6. What is your pet hate? Greed, selfishness, cruelty, bullying.

7. What are you reading at the moment? Dilbert cartoon books – only because I am waiting for the next Game of Thrones book to come out.

8. If you were choosing a last meal, what would it be? Beans on toast with some grated cheese on top (extra-mature cheddar).

9. If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be? If we are assuming that Jesus was a historical person, then a conversation with him would be very interesting and enlightening.

10. If you had a time machine where would it take you? Tricky question – is it a one-way trip? Or do I get to come back? Maybe I would not want to come back?

11. If you were stranded on a desert island what luxury would you choose to have with you? A medical kit would be kind of handy, along with a book telling me what plants and herbs were safe to eat.

12. What sports team do you support? I pretty much hate all sports – blame the bully I had as a PE teacher.

13. What was your first job? I helped on a milk round and did a lot of babysitting – but if you mean a proper job, I was a junior laboratory technician for Oxoid Ltd.

14. If you could take over someone’s job for the day, whose job would you choose? Either The Queen or the financial regulator – whichever one could lock up all the greedy bankers in the Tower of London. (I would have said chief executioner if the UK still had capital punishment, to deal with the same greedy bankers!).

15. What worries you the most? The fact that an unrestricted quest for money (by the few) will ultimately damn the many who have much more modest desires.

16. What is your proudest moment? I probably have lots of little proud moments, but I don’t do ‘pride’ very well – I am always wondering how I could do better, whatever it is that I have just done. I believe that I am a decent human being, and in the main I make a positive contribution to society rather than a negative one.

17. What would you like your epitaph to be? Something along the lines of: “Here lies a decent chap.”